Popular Bella
by Dede13
Summary: Bella lives in Phoenix with both of her parents. She is one of the most popular people at school. The Cullens move in across the street from her and soon she and Edward become very close friends, and soon more than that. All human. BxE.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone!**

**It feels like forever since I've been on here. As most you know, I was not happy with the way that my story was going so I was re-writing it. This is the first chapter of the new version. I haven't written any other chapters fully yet but I'm hoping to wrte a bunch more very soon. I have a ton of scens from different parts of the sory writen lready. I now know exactly where I am going with this so that will hopefully help me a lot. It might be a while but I really hope that you guys read and enjoy this chapter for now. I'm so thankful for everyone who has stuck by me. I would alsolove to hear what you have tosay about the first chapter.**

_Wednesday November 8, 2007_

**Bella POV**

As I was walking to Calculus class, Lauren comes up to me and says "Hey Bella, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Going to English," I replied.

"Remember we have cheerleading practice after school today," Lauren said.

"Lauren," I said getting irritated, "I know when the practices are, I schedule them, I am head cheerleader."

"Oh, yeah, right," she commented and walked away. Sometimes she can be so annoying. Lauren isn't one of my favourite people. Actually she is one of the people that I really don't like. She is always trying to sound smart and trying to be better than everyone else at everything. I watched her for a second as she was walking away. The walking part didn't last long; she started flirting with this guy who is on the football team. She was twirling her dyed blond hair around her fingers. She leaned up against the football player named Mark and whispered something in his ear. I really don't want to know what she said. Lauren makes out with at least 3 different guys a week. And everyone knows it, but the guys keep coming back and making out with her again. I really don't know why. It is really annoying watching her flirt with every guy at the school that was attractive or popular. I wasn't jealous of her at all. I don't have a boyfriend and honestly I don't really want a boyfriend right now. I have a lot of extracurricular activities and I have to keep my grades up.

_Friday November 10 2007_

"Bella, it looks like there is someone moving in across from you, there is a moving van," Danielle mentioned.

My three best friends and I, Danielle, Angela and Amanda, were having a girl's night tonight considering it was Friday. They were all coming over to do manicures, pedicures, facials and then we were going to watch movies and eat junk food for a while.

"Yeah, somebody bought the house a few weeks ago. We should go say hi tomorrow," I explained.

"Okay!" Amanda agreed eagerly. She was the one who always wanted to make new friends. At first glance she's a little bit intimidating because she towers over most girls at 5'10" and her wild curly hair just adds to it but her light brown eyes are always sparkling with happiness. A lot of girls are jealous of her because she has a killer body too.

Amanda and I had just gotten out of basketball practice just like we do every Friday but this time Danielle and Angela watched so we could all come to my house together.

We were all just starring at the house and the people walking in and out with all their furniture and appliances. I guess that it might look a little bit weird to somebody. Four teenage girls standing in a driveway beside a silver BMW Z4 watching people bring things into a house that has been empty for 2 years.

Just as that thought past through my head, a black Mercedes Benz and a green Jeep Wrangler drove up.

**Edward POV**

I hate moving. This is the second time in less than 2 years. Why can't we just stick to one place already?

I understand that Dad's an amazing doctor and tons of hospitals want him to work for them but I wish we could stay in one place for at least a few years. The longest we've ever lived somewhere was in Syracuse, New York and we lived there for 3 years.

I guess moving wasn't all that bad, I could get all away from all the girls throwing themselves at me. Maybe it would be different here. I doubt it though; people don't seem to have any class anymore.

Now I'm stuck sitting in my brother's jeep with my older brother, Emmett, and my twin sister, Alice, she was born 5 minutes before me. Alice and I get along pretty well most of the time despite the fact that we were about the most opposite people in the universe. Our physical appearances and our behavioural characteristics were very opposite.

I'm tall, about 6'4", Alice is as short as a 10 year old, 5'0", I'm a quiet person, I would rather just sit and read, or listen to music whereas Alice likes partying and hanging out with a bunch of people. She loves shopping, I love my piano, she's always hyper, I'm calm, she's a morning person, I'm a night owl. She has short black hair, I have short bronze hair, she has hazel eyes, I have green eyes.

"Edward, how long until we get there?" my bear of a brother asked. Emmett was more like Alice in the behavioural category; he's always energetic, excited and immature, but closer to me physically. Emmett is really intimidating, he has brown curly hair, brown eyes, he's 6'5" and has huge muscles.

"Emmett, how am I supposed to know? You're the one driving. We're following Mom and Dad anyways, call them and ask if you really want to know," I sighed.

"Okay," he said and pulled out his orange LG Rumor and called our parents who were in the car ahead of us.

"Why did we have to move? We were fine the way we were. Dad just had to go get a new job once I got a boyfriend," Alice grumbled from the back seat. "It's all Dad's fault, Chris didn't want to try a long distance relationship so he dumped me. And it's all Dad's fault, stupid job."

It was no secret that Alice was mad at Dad for getting a new job. She had just gotten a boyfriend, Chris, and he didn't want a long distance relationship so they broke up. Frankly, I'm glad they did because Alice would have gotten her heart broken, Chris is a player, but he fooled Alice into thinking that he changed when he didn't. I saw him making out with some blond girl before he and Alice broke up. I didn't end up telling her because I knew she would have just gotten mad at me and wouldn't believe what I said.

"Mom said that we're only about 5 minutes away," Emmett words pulled me out of my musings. "I love this song!"

I don't know if Emmett claims to like this kind of music because he knows that I hate it or because he actually likes it. I don't know how anyone could actually like rap, the people talk so fast that you can't even tell what they're saying.

5 minutes of continuous rap add Emmett singing along and you get a very annoyed Edward. We had finally arrived after hours of driving with my siblings. We all got out of the Jeep and met up with our parents at the front of the car.

"Well," my mom said while flipping her caramel coloured hair over her shoulder, "this is our new house, most of the furniture should already be inside."

"Dude!" Emmett said. "If all our neighbours look like that," he pointed across the street, "I'm going to like this place."

We all turned to look at what he pointed at and saw 4 girls who looked about our age.

"Emmett! That was rude! I'm sure those girls are all very kind and smart. I raised you better than to care only about physical appearance," Mom scolded.

"Dad, help me out here! I was just mentioning that they were pretty," Emmett complained.

"Sorry son, I'm with your mother on this one, you shouldn't only care about looks," Dad added, and then they went inside.

As soon as Mom and Dad were out of earshot Emmett started grumbling about it not being fair and I just laughed.

"I'm going to go introduce myself; do you guys want to come?" Alice offered.

I have to admit, they were pretty, but one stood out from the rest, she was gorgeous, has long brown hair and she was about average height. She just seemed to stick out for some reason.

Emmett decided to go over with Alice but I declined and decided to go find which room I wanted.

I walked in the front door and immediately to the left there was a door to the garage. The next door on that side was to a small bathroom. Across from the garage, to the right was an opening to the living room. There was a beige sectional faced towards the opposite wall that had a huge flat screen TV on it. There was a coffee table in the middle with a couple reading lamps at the ends of the couches. Through the living room, there was another opening that led to the kitchen.

Once you walked into the kitchen, there was a large island with a couple of stools to sit on. The cupboards were dark brown and the appliances stainless steel. There was a large fridge with a water and ice dispenser, a double over and a large dishwasher. To the left, I found the dining room, the walls were very light and there was a dark brown china cabinet and a matching table with white chairs. On the left wall of the dining room, there were stairs that went up and down. I decided to go downstairs first.

At the bottom of the stairs there was a big open space that was set up as a second living room. There was a large black sectional couch that had white cushions with an ottoman to match. There were 2 small windows at the top of the wall. To the right of the stairs there was a large home theatre that had black chairs with trays and cup holders in each and a large screen encased in an entertainment centre.

I went back out to the living room and there was another door on the right, further down the wall. I walked in and it was a bathroom. There was a large white tub with a toilet and sink that matched. The floor was a very dark grey. Straight across from the door where I came in, there was another door. Through it, there was a sauna. It was all wood with a bench along the wall across from the door with a counter and hooks on the left wall.

I walked back through the bathroom and into the living room. On the opposite wall there were two more doors. The one closest to the back led to a home gym. There was a stationary bike, a treadmill, an elliptical, a weight machine and a stand of free weights along with a bench.

The next room was a games room. The floors were hardwood, a bar with stools at the back of the room, a couch in the corner and a huge pool table in the centre.

I went back up the stairs and up to the top floor. I walked out of the stair case and there was this big hallway that had multiple doors leading off of it. I decided to go to the door on my right first, as I walked in, I saw a dark wood set of furniture, there was a bed, side tables, a stand up dresser and a lower dresser with a mirror on it. The walls were brownish beige and there was a lot of detailing on the walls. Suddenly my mom poked her head out of one of the doors across from the bed and said, "Oh, hi honey. Are you just looking around?"

"Yeah," I replied. "So I guess this is yours and dad's room then?"

"Yes and the room next door is the guest room because it's the smallest. The other three rooms I had done for each of you but we can change them if you want. The last one on the other side of the stairs is yours. The pink one is Alice's and Emmett's is the one beside the music room. Each of the bedrooms have their own bathroom so you guys won't have to share. There is also an office and a music room up here so you can play and your father can work," she explained.

"Yeah, that sounds fine. Alice and Emmett are still outside talking the neighbours I guess so I'm going to upack my room once I finish looking around," I told her.

I poked my head inside the bathroom where my mom seemed to be unpacking their things. The walls were stark white, there were double sinks on the right when you walk in, white counter tops and cabinets and a big tub sitting in the corner. There was a huge glass shower and the toilet was right beside the shower.

I walked out and into the other door which I assumed was a closet. I found my Dad in there unpacking all the clothes. There was a big grey fuzzy rug in the middle with a bench on top of it. All around the three walls that didn't have the door, there were places to hang up a bunch of stuff as well as a couple drawers. All the cabinets were white in here as well.

"Hey, Dad," I announced my presence. "I'm just looking around."

"So what do you think of the house so far?" he asked as he turned around.

"It's nice, I haven't seen the rest of the upstairs yet though," I explained.

"That's good. Did your mom tell you which room was yours?" he asked.

I nodded then turned and walked out. I walked to the next door and into the guest room, so my mother said. The walls were yellow with a bed and side table on one side and a wicker chair in the corner. It had a very tropical feel. At the back of the room there was a door into the bathroom. The bathroom was plain with a big shower stall, a pedestal sink and a toilet. Everything was white in there.

I walked out and into the next room which my piano was set up in. My music room. I smiled at that though. The walls were cream and my black grand piano stood out against them. There were shelves on one wall so that I could put all my music there.

The next room was Emmett's, there was a bean bag in the corner and abed in the centre, it had shelves all around it to put things in and the walls were blue. His bathroom is at the back of his room, the walls were grey and there was a simple toilet and sink on the same wall. The tub was against one wall at the side.

Alice's room had light green walls with pink curtains and a bay window with a seat that had a bunch of pillows. There was a canopy on the wall that was pink and there was an A on it. There was a pink chair in the corner as well. Her furniture was white. Her bathroom had pink walks and a tub, large sink area and a toilet all on the same wall. Her closet was large but plain. There were shelves and places to hang things but it was nothing fantastic.

The office had grey walls with a big desk in the middle and a big office chair behind it.

My room was the last room on this floor. There were dark grey walls with a bed in the middle. There was drawers attached to the bed on one side and there were floating shelves attached to the wall with some frames for pictures. My bathroom also has grey walls; there was a tub in the corner and then a toilet and sink on the other wall. The tub and sink cabinet were both black to match my room.

**Bella POV**

There were five of them, they were all gorgeous. The two that were in the black Mercedes looked to be the parents but they couldn't have been more than 30. The other 3 were all around the same age as us, about 17 or 18 I think. There were 2 guys and one girl; one of the guys had really huge muscles, brown hair and was at lease 6'5". The other guy was even more gorgeous; he had bronze hair that stuck up everywhere, he wasn't as tall as the first guy, I would guess about an inch shorter. He didn't look as muscly as the first guy either but he seemed like he was strong. The girl was opposite of the two guys, she was about a foot and a half shorter than them. Her hair was jet black and styled so it was spiky.

They all seemed to be having a conversation and we just stared from them to the house and then back.

The parents went inside and the bronze haired boy followed a few moments later. The two remaining started walking over towards us.

I heard Amanda whisper, "Oh my gosh! He's coming over here! He is so hot! Do I look okay?"

"You're fine Da," I told her just as they were within hearing distance.

"Thanks B," she added quietly.

"Hi, I'm Alice, this is my big brother Emmett, he may look scary but he's harmless, and my twin brother is the guy who just went inside, he's a party pooper," she told us.

"Well, hi Alice and Emmett, I'm Bella and I'm the one who lives here," I said back.

"I'm Danielle."

"I'm Angela."

"And I'm the best one of them all, Amanda!"

"Do you guys want to hang out with us for a while? We can go sit in the shade over there," I suggested.

"Sure, thanks Belly," Emmett said.

"Belly?" I asked.

"Yeah! See, it's a nickname I just made up for you! I can see you being like a little sister so now you have your own name that only I'm allowed to call you," he explained.

"Okay!" I replied. "Do I get to make a nickname for you then bro?"

I could already tell that Emmett could be like the big brother I never had. I've barely talked to him but he seems cool.

"Sure!" he shouted.

"What about if I called you Bear? You're just about as big as a bear," I joked.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed.

By this time everyone was sitting under the huge tree that was in my front yard.

"Emmett, I'm going to give you some advice. Besides mine and yours, there is one other house on this street, and it belongs to the Rickbers, and they're an elderly couple, but if you make too much noise they will get mad at you and potentially call the police if it gets bad. Nobody has lived in your house for about 2 years now but before that there was a family with teenagers and they always had parties. The police were over here at least once a week, if it wasn't because of parties it was because they were talking too loud outside. My dad could have just worked at home," I told him.

"Really? Your dad's a cop?" he asked.

"Yep," I said.

"Okay, what about if we play 20 questions? One person will ask a question then everyone will answer it so we get to know each other," Alice suggested.

Everyone agreed but before we started Alice and Emmett's brother came over.

"Hey Eddie! Decide to come join us?" Emmett asked.

"Emmett, how many times have I told you not to call me that, and yes I decided to come join you, if that's all right with you ladies," he said.

His voice was so musical and velvety, and now that he was up close, I could see his eyes, they were different from Emmett's brown and Alice's hazel, they were a piercing emerald green! Gorgeous!

"Sure, I'm Bella, that's Danielle, Angela, and Amanda," I pointed to each one.

"I'm Edward," he said while sitting beside me. "So what are we doing?"

"20 questions but everyone answers the question," Amanda explained.

"Me first! Okay, something simple, age, grade, and birthday?" Emmett started.

We went in order of the circle.

Alice said, "17, grade 11 and March 29th."

"Same as Alice," Edward said.

Then it was my turn, "17, grade 11 and September 13th."

"18," Danielle said, "grade 12, and November 8th."

"Happy belated Birthday!" Alice said.

"Thanks!" Danielle replied.

Angela went next, "17, grade 11, and May 5th."

"18, grade 12, and January 12th," Amanda said.

"18, grade 12, and January 2nd," Emmett said for his turn.

"Favourite sport, colour, hobby?" Alice asked.

Edward went first this time, "I'm tied between basketball, soccer and football for a sport, blue, and playing piano."

Then I answered the questions, "Basketball or volleyball, green and modeling, which is more of a job, or reading."

Then Alice interrupted just before Danielle was going to answer, "You're a model, that's so cool!"

"I guess, it's just like anyone else getting a job," I explained. "Your turn Danni."

"Soccer, purple, reading," she said.

"I don't really like sports, yellow, and photography," Angela said.

Amanda went next, "Basketball, orange, running."

"Football, brown, and annoying my siblings," Emmett answered.

"Dance, pink, and giving makeovers or going to the spa," Alice said.

"Hmm… how about sports teams? Emmett, Alice and I can say from our old school," Edward suggested.

"Captain of the basketball team, captain of the volleyball team, head of the dance team, head cheerleader and I play on the soccer team," I answered.

"I play on the basketball team and I'm captain of the soccer team," Danielle explained.

"None," Angela sighed.

"I play on the basketball team," Amanda said.

"I used to be on the football team," Emmett said sadly.

Alice went next, "I was head of the dance team at my old school, and a cheerleader."

"I played football, and I was captain of the basketball and soccer teams."

"Before I ask a question, are you guys going to try out for the teams here?" I wondered.

"Isn't it too late?" Edward responded.

"Nope, tryouts for the guys teams started this Monday because they do the girls teams first then the guys because we have more teams," I told them.

"Cool!" Emmett yelled.

"And Alice, if you want to be on the dance team you can, but you'll have to try out for the cheerleading squad," I explained.

"Really? You can just get me on the dance team like that? You're the best, Bella! Thank you so much!" Alice said as she came over and hugged me.

"No problem," I explained.

We continued asking questions until Edward, Emmett, and Alice's mom came outside to tell them to come for dinner.

"Hi Mom!" Emmett said.

"Hi sweetie, dinner's almost ready so you three have to come inside," she said.

"Mom, this is Bella, and she lives here, and this is Danielle, Angela and Amanda," Alice introduced us.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Cullen," I smiled.

"Oh, call me Esme, darling. It's nice to meet you all but I'm afraid dinner will burn if I'm not careful," she replied then started walking back to their house.

"I guess it's time to go and pick myself a room to live in for the rest of my live!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Dramatic much? I don't think that you'll be living here for the rest of your life," Amanda commented.

"Just a little," Emmett smiled, "I'm gonna miss you Belly!" Then he attacked me and pulled me into a hug.

"I'll miss you too Bear, but I'll see you soon, Monday at the latest," I smiled.

"Ok," he said.

"Alice, did you want to come hang out with us after you eat? We're having a sleepover if you want to join us," I asked.

"Sure! Give me your cell number and I'll call you after I eat and ask my parents," she said.

We exchanged cell phone numbers and then she gave me a hug and I went to talk to Edward.

"Bye Edward, I'll see you on Monday I guess," I hugged him.

"Bye Bella, I'll see you Monday," he hugged me back.

**Edward POV**

"So, what do you guys think of Bella?" Alice asked as we walked into the house.

"She's so cool! She's already my little sister!" Emmett shouted.

"She's nice," I replied.

"She's going to be my best friend, and I get to be on the dance team because of her," Alice squealed.

Alice and Emmett seemed to be taking everything in, they walked into the living room then through the doorway to the kitchen. I sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen as they continued to look around the main floor.

We walked into the kitchen where Mom was starting to take everything out of the oven and setting the table.

"Mom, can I go over to sleepover at Bella's tonight after dinner?" Alice asked.

"Well, I guess if you want to," she agreed.

"Alright. I'm going to call her and let her know once we finish eating," Alice said.  
-

**So, what did you guys think? I really hope that you liked it. I would love to hear what you think and feel free to ask any questions if I wasn't clear on anything. **

**Thanks so much for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hey everyone! it's been forever I know! I'm so sorry but I have another chapter done now. It has been roughly edited so any mistakes I'm sorry for. Hope to hear what you guys think :)_**

_Saturday, November 11, 2007_

**Bella POV**

It was now 11 am on Saturday and I was the only one of the five girls that was up. Alice had come over last night and we had stayed up late doing a whole bunch of beauty treatments and gossiping and telling her all about school. We stayed up until 3 this morning when we finally started to fall asleep. I was never able to sleep in very late no matter how late I stayed up.

This morning I decided that instead of staying in the same room where all the other girls were still sleeping and possibly wake them up that I would get up and starting doing some things around the house. I started by finishing up the dishes that we had made last night and then I started with planning breakfast which I guess will be more like lunch by the time they wake up.

Another friend of mine, Rosalie had texted me a few hours ago wondering if I wanted to hang out at the mall today. I told her about having a bunch of girls for a sleepover last night and asked if they could come as well. We agreed that we would meet in the food court at 2 this afternoon.

I was really excited for her and Alice to meet. She had already met the other girls at another one of our outings and they had become good friends as well. Rose and her twin brother Jasper were both home schooled so they didn't know many people their own age. The way that I met Rose was through our modelling company. She and I had been asked to work at the same shoot and we had been really close since then.

We didn't get to see each other much but we texted all the time.

Alice suddenly walked into the kitchen where I had started making some eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes etc. for breakfast.

"Hey," I smiled.

"Hey, sorry I slept so long, I normally don't sleep this late at all," she sounded embarrassed.

"No biggie. I can never sleep much past 9 but the other girls sleep forever so I'm used to it. Are you up to coming to the mall with us this afternoon? We're meeting up with another one of my friends to shop and hang out. You're welcome to come. I think you and Rose will get along great," I explained.

"I should be able to. I have to unpack this weekend but I think my mom will be happy that I'm already making friends here. I was the least excited about moving here. But I'm so glad now. You guys are so amazing, I'm glad I met you guys," she smiled.

"I'm glad I met you too, I think we're going to be great friends. Why didn't you want to move here?" I wondered.

"Oh, well, my boyfriend didn't want to try a long distance relationship so he broke up with me just after we had started going out," she explained sadly.

"That sucks, but you know what? If he's not willing to try then he's not worth it and doesn't deserve to have someone as good as you," I smiled at her.

"Thanks," she replied, "I guess you're right. I'll find someone better."

"You sure will," I told her.

"Did you want any help with the food?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine. This is one of my favourite things to do," I declined.

There were now six of us, walking around the mall like we owned the place. It was always so much fun to hang out with a bunch of girls at the mall. It turns out I was right, Rose and Alice were becoming fast friends just like I thought.

We wandered through the stores and we stopped for a snack in the food court.

We were all sitting around a big table in the middle of the food court when Rose dropped a bomb on us.

"So, me and Jasper are starting at Phoenix High on Monday," she said like it was no big deal.

"What?" I screamed.

"Well, we finally convinced our parents to let us go to a real school instead of being home schooled. We're sick of not having any friends," she explained.

"That's amazing! I can't believe you didn't tell me before now though," I told her.

"Well, yeah, we were going to surprise except that I figured that maybe you might be able to show us around on Monday morning before classes start," she said.

"I would love to! I can meet you guys there at 8 and then we can go get your schedules and then I'll walk you around and then you'll still have time to get to your class by 8:30," I smiled.

"I'm actually really excited," she said. "I can't wait to actually make some friends."

"That's great Rose, you can eat lunch with us now," Amanda put in.

_Monday November 13, 2007_

"Who in the world is that?" Alice whispered in my ear as we walked into the cafeteria. We had our last class together so we were walking into the lunch room when Alice froze suddenly and asked that question.

"Who?" I asked.

"The tall blond guy that's standing in line," she clarified.

I looked over to where she was looking and saw Jasper.

"Oh, that's Jasper, Rose's twin brother, why?" I asked.

"Oh my gosh! That's Rose's brother? He's so hot!" she whisper-yelled.

"You're serious? Well, I guess he is attractive but I've never thought of him that way," I admitted. "He's eating with us. Do you want me to introduce you?"

"No! That will seem weird. Just make it casual. When you're introducing everyone else then you can," Alice freaked out.

All through lunch, all Alice did is stare at Jasper out of the corner of her eye. And by the looks of it, he seemed to be quite interested in her as well. I guess I'll have to set them up. Jasper is shy so I don't think he'll work up the nerve to ask her out by himself.

It turned out that I had all my classes with at least one of the Cullens or Hales. Its funny how there were two different families starting as new students at our school on the same day. The school was set abuzz by the new students. There was a ridiculous amount of girls that came to our table at lunch to try and talk to Emmett, Edward or Jasper. It was the same for guys coming to talk to Rose and Alice.

It was now Thursday and Alice, Rose and I were sitting in the bleachers on the field at the back of the school to watch the boys try-out for football. I didn't tend to normally watch any of the boys sports but now that I was close friends with some of the people that were trying out, the girls and I had decided to stay and cheer them on.

On Tuesday, Alice had started on the dance team with us. We were just starting a new routine as this was one of our first few practices of the year. It always took a while for us to get the team together at the beginning of the year. We already had a competition that we were planning on participating in during the month of February so we had to get moving and give it our all right away. The competition was going to be at a high school in a neighbouring city so we had to start fundraising as well so we could pay to get there.

The Cullens and Hales had adjusted to the school quite well. They were accepted into the school readily and had many people wanting to be their friends. Our group had remained really close even though there were a bunch of new people. We all seemed to be closer than ever. It was great seeing Rose and Jasper everyday instead of just once in a while.

Once the practice was over, we decided to go out for dinner to the local diner to hang out. I had noticed that Alice and Jasper were constantly talking amongst themselves. They were definitely a lot closer than any other friends. I knew already that Alice liked him because she had told me that pretty much the first day they met, I just wasn't completely sure about Jasper. It seems like he likes her but I can't be sure. They would be the cutest couple though. I know that Jasper is pretty shy and most likely wouldn't ask her out because he would be too nervous. Maybe I should talk to him about it and see if he's interested in her and then convince him to ask her out.

Rose and Emmett were very close as well. I noticed that they were flirting and talking too. I think Emmett is going to ask her out soon because he is not someone who is shy or timid, he'll say what he thinks, which is one of his greatest qualities. I'm convinced that Rose likes him; she hasn't outright told me but from her body language it's pretty obvious.

The next afternoon once school was over, Edward and I decided to go the mall and hang out for the evening. We walked around the mall looking in stores and buying a few things for ourselves. We stopped and had dinner in the food court and then decided to head back to our houses.

I walked into my house and my mother smirked at me, "Out with Edward again?"

"Yes," I replied, "why?"

"Oh, no reason. Just wondering," she responded. "So, are you and Edward going to start dating? You guys spend all your free time with each other."

"Mother! We are not dating. We are really close friends so we spend time together. Where did you get that idea?" I exclaimed.

"Well, Esme and I were talking…" she started.

"Arg! Can everyone just leave me alone and not get involved in my life," I screamed and stomped away.

I am so annoyed, why is she bothering me about this. She knows Edward and I are just friends. I hate when people start butting into my life like that. I can't believe that my mom and Esme were planning on Edward and I dating. Alice and Rose are hinting at the same thing and it's getting very annoying that people are not respecting our choices, we are friends. We aren't dating because we don't like each other and that is it. I wish they would leave it up to us instead of sticking their noses where they don't belong.

My mother is someone who wants to know everything and thinks she knows best. For the past little while she's been telling me that I should start dating. I've never dated before and am perfectly fine that way. I feel happier this way because I have way too many activities and too much school work to be dating. I just don't have time for everything and am focused on my grades so that I can get into university in 2 years.

I pull out my homework and put my headphones into my ears and turn on my music. I spent a couple hours working on some homework and projects so that I wouldn't have to work on it later during the weekend.

I ended up going to bed early because I was exhausted from doing homework and the long day at school.

A week later, we discovered that Edward and Jasper made the football team and Emmett became the captain, Edward becomes the captain of the basketball team, and Jasper and Edward are now on the soccer team. We were all really excited for them and they couldn't wait to start playing. When we found out we decided to go out for dinner to the local diner to celebrate.

As we were sitting around, Emmett and Rosalie got up and walked out together saying they were going for a walk and would be back soon.

"Why did they leave," I asked.

"I don't know, maybe he's finally going to ask her out? It's so obvious that they both like each other," Alice speculated.

"He'd better watch it with my sister," Jasper commented.

"We could say the same thing to you Jasper," Edward said and then Jasper blushed and looked away.

When Emmett and Rosalie came back they were both smiling and everyone gave them weird looks wondering what happened. Emmett burst out, "she agreed to go out with me."

We were all happy for them. We finished our dinner and headed home.

The next day at school we were sitting in the cafeteria eating our lunch and Angela walked up.

"Hey, everyone," Angela sighed as she walked up to our packed lunch table. She squeezed into her seat and started eating with her head down.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Well, you know how my sister lives in Rhode Island, right?" she asked. I nodded. "Well, my mom told me this morning that we were moving up there to be with her because her husband is going to be deployed soon and she needs help because she's pregnant and she already has a daughter."

"You're kidding!" I yelled. "You can't move away!"

"I have to. I don't have a choice. We're moving over Christmas break," she pouted.

"That's stupid! I don't want you to leave!" Alice added.

"I don't either but it's not my choice. I have to," Angela explained.

"Well, we'll just have to make the best of the next few weeks that you have left here," Emmett said, cheering everyone up.

The rest of the day went by with me thinking about Angela moving across the country. I understand that her family wants to help her sister out but I really don't want her to move away. We've been friends for a long time.

Over the next couple days, we continued on with our regular lives, me being a bit sad about Angela moving away but I had noticed that Amanda and Danielle had started moving away from our group, hanging out with other people and not talking to me as much anymore.

I went to talk to them one day at lunch when they were sitting across the cafeteria from our normal table where I now sit with the Cullens and Hales.

"Hey girls," I started. "How are you?"

"We're good, thanks, you?" Danielle asked. This was really awkward, you could tell they didn't really want to talk to me.

"I'm good. Are you guys trying to avoid me now?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"Bella, you're so different now, now all you do is talk to and about the Cullens and Hales. We used to be such a tight-knit group and now we don't even talk because they have taken over your life," Amanda said.

"I didn't mean for that to happen," I said. "I thought you liked them."

"We did but now they don't really talk to us anymore. I wish you would pay more attention to us now, you don't even talk to us anymore," Danielle exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, girls, I'll try to do more with you guys," I told them.

"No, it's too late, you cast us aside for your new friends, who are so cool and don't even like us," Amanda said.

"You're jealous that they don't talk to you as much as me?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. Its not fair that the new popular kids only talk to you. We wanted to be their friends too. We'll forgive you if you get them to like us," Amanda smirked.

"No! I'm not doing that to them. They are my real friends, clearly you are not and are just using me. Bye," I stormed off so annoyed that my friends since I was young are now trying to use me.

I walked over to my table and when they asked me what was wrong I told them what had happened. They were just as outraged as me. I can't believe this, but now at least I have people that I know actually care about me and are not trying to use me as my friends. I was so glad it was Friday and I could have the weekend to do nothing at all.

It was Monday morning and I felt rested after relaxing for a while on the weekend and hanging out with the Cullens. I hadn't let the stress and anger from what happened on Friday get to me. I had let it go and realized that I have great friends now and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

Edward had offered me a ride to school this morning because my car was in the shop. I walked across the street to his house where he was waiting in the driveway.

"Hey Bella," Edward said to me.

"Hey Edward," I replied. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. Listen, I want to tell you something but you have to promise not to freak out," he explained.

We were, by that point on the way to school so I said, "Sure. What's up?"

Edward and I had become good friends over the past month since him and his family have moved in. I was confident that whatever was bugging him I could help him get over it.

"Well, I know we've got to know each other well over the past month and we're great friends now too. And I don't want to ruin our friendship or anything but I really think you should know that I really like you… as more than a friend," he stuttered.

Here's the thing…. I never expected this to happen. I mean, there was absolutely no indication that he liked me and this was really shocking to me. I was stunned silent. I didn't know how to feel about what he had said or even what I felt about him as more than a friend, if I even did have feelings like that. And the problem is… that I'm stuck in this car with him for the rest of the ride to school. Edward is really a genius like that. I can't run away, or hang up the phone; I actually have to answer him.

"Ummm…. I don't know what to say. I don't know if I have feelings for you that are beyond friendship," I muttered. I really didn't want to hurt his feelings. He had become one of my closest friends. Why are guys so complicated?

"That's okay Bella. I just wanted to let you know that. I didn't feel right about having these feelings for you and you not knowing what is going on in my brain. I hope we can just put this past us if you don't want to start dating or seeing each other in that way. I really didn't want this to be awkward and I sort of knew you didn't reciprocate but I just wanted to be honest with you," he said sweetly.

"Edward, isn't it going to be hard to be friends now that I know this? I'm going to be analysing everything that goes on between us and asking myself whether you're doing that as a friend or if you're doing it so that I will maybe like you back," I pondered. "I'm sorry Edward, but I don't think we can be friends anymore. I'll get rides with Alice and Emmett for the rest of the week. I'm really sorry this happened."

Once I said that, I immediately grabbed my bag, got out of the car and started walking to the school since Edward had parked the car. I was scanning the crowd wildly to find one of my friends to talk to.

**EPOV**

Well that went well didn't it?

I put my head on the steering wheel and just thought about how stupid I really was for doing that. I already knew that she didn't like me back... why did I have to torture myself like this. She was the first girl I had ever liked and there I go and screw it up. Why am I so dumb?

A sharp knock on the car window brought me out of my musings. I turned and looked to see who had wanted my attention and I saw Emmett. I rolled down the window and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Why do you look like you want the ground to open up and swallow you?"

"Nothing. Just leave me alone, I have to get to class," I explained.

"Well obviously it's not nothing. What's wrong? Where's Bella, I thought she was getting a ride with you this week?" He asked.

"Yes, Emmett, I gave her a ride this morning. She got out the minute that I parked the car. I told her that I liked her as more than a friend on the way to school and now she hates my guts and won't talk to me," I wallowed in my misery.

"Dude! You like Bella? And you told her after trapping her inside your car? Are you stupid?" He yelled.

"Why don't you just broadcast it to the whole school on the announcements? Be quiet, and clearly I am an idiot okay?" I started to get angry.

"I didn't know you liked her," he said quietly.

"Yeah, well I do, okay? Now would you please just leave me alone to be in a bad mood, the first girl I ever liked doesn't like me back, and doesn't want to be friends anymore?" I demanded forcefully.

"Fine, I won't give you any advice then. I really think that what I could have told you would have been quite valuable to you," he taunted.

"Whatever Emmett, I don't care anymore. Go to class," I said as the warning bell rang.

Bella had been ignoring me for a couple days now, true to her word, she got a ride with Emmett and Alice for the rest of the week. I go to school earlier than them so that I have time to go to my locker and get to class a bit early every day. I don't like rushing. Bella feels or felt the same way as me. We usually arrive at the same time in the morning, which is why I offered to give her a ride this week while her car was in the shop.

Now she doesn't even look at me, she sits at the opposite end of the lunch table and talks to everyone but me. I wish we could just put this behind us so that we can be friends again. Whenever the rest of our group decided to hang out I have decided not to go recently because I really do like Bella and don't want to make it awkward for her and I still wanted her to hang out with her friends.

This was misery.

I went about my day as needed. School, practice, go home, homework, dinner, more homework. Not talking to anyone unless I had to. My mom was starting to get worried about me.

"What's wrong sweetheart," she asked.

"Nothing, mom," I replied. I really didn't want to tell her, I would be even more embarrassed than I already am.

"You don't even talk to anyone or go out anymore. Please tell me what's going on," she pleaded.

"I told Bella that I liked her and now she won't talk to me anymore," I relented.

"I was right, I knew you liked Bella. Why won't she talk to you anymore?" she asked.

"Because she said she doesn't like me back and doesn't want to be friends anymore because now it's awkward," I explained.

"Well, I think you need to talk to her and have a conversation about what you guys want to do going from here. You guys are great friends and I don't think you should throw that away," she told me.

"Thanks Mom," I said taking that to heart. I agreed with her, we could still be friends, and I was going to talk to Bella on Monday afternoon and we were going to figure everything out.

**Bella POV**

"Come on Bella," Rose complained. "You can't keep ignoring him forever. I mean, it's so awkward now when all of us try to hang out because one or both of you decided not to go or if you both do then you're on opposite sides of the rooms and pretending the other isn't there."

"Yes, I can. He randomly says he liked me. I can't just forget about that. I don't feel the same way. Why don't you guys just hang out with him then? I'm fine by myself. I have a ton of stuff to do before the Christmas break in a couple weeks anyways. I'll be fine on my own," I pleaded.

"Now, see there's the problem. I think that you're fooling yourself by thinking that you don't like him. I think you really do. And you guys would make an adorable couple. If he had said he liked you and you had absolutely no feelings for him, of that sort, then you would have moved on with your life and continued being friends with him. But you didn't. You're constantly freaking out about whether he's going to be around or not. It wouldn't have bothered you this much if you didn't like him at all," Alice objected.

"You're just saying that because you want your brother and I to start going out. Not going to happen. I don't like him. End of story," I finalized.

"Well, yes, I would like you guys to go out but that's not the only reason. This isn't only affecting you guys, it's affecting the rest of our group too because the room's full of tension and awkwardness whenever we're together," Alice countered.

"Why are you guys convinced that I like him? I don't. I've told you guys that and I've told him that. What is the world gives you the impression that I like him?" I asked.

"Well, it could be the fact that you're constantly talking about him. Whether the subject has anything to do with him or not. Just last week we were talking about shoes or something because I found this pair I loved and you randomly put in 'Edward wanted to buy me a pair of shoes the other day at the mall when we were there.' Like, what does that have anything to do with the pair of shoes I was talking about? Nothing!" Rose interjected.

"Or the plain fact that you guys hang out more just the two of you than with anyone else," Alice smirked.

"Okay, first of all, I said the thing about Edward wanting to buy me shoes because you were talking about wanting to buy a pair of shoes and you mentioned the store that we were at and it just reminded me of that moment. And friends hang out by themselves all the time, that's completely normal. There is nothing romantic about that," I clarified.

"What about the denial? We all know that the first step is denial," Rose commented.

"It's not denial if I don't like him," I replied.

"Bella, think about it," Alice put in. "When he's not around, you're always thinking about him, you love spending time with him, and you couldn't imagine your life without him… those are all things that mean you like him."

"No, those are things that make us friends. I think about you guys all the time too, I like hanging out with you guys and I don't know if I would survive if you guys weren't in my life," I rebutted.

"But for him, those feelings are so much stronger than with any of the rest of our group," Rose smirked.

I contemplated that for a while. And they were right, I guess. I mean, I've been avoiding him because I thought it was going to be awkward but doing that has made it even worse. And my heart has been aching that I don't ever see or talk to him anymore. I really miss him.

"You're right," I relented. "I have hated not talking to him every day, even though it hasn't even been a week since then."

"Finally, you see it!" Alice squealed. "Now you have to go tell him!"

"No, I can't just randomly walk into your house and tell him that I like him. There's no way that he's going to forgive me now. I've been so horrible to him," I moaned.

"He's going to forgive you, you're his best friend. He just misses you. How about you come over after school and then when you see him at the house you can ask him to talk and tell him then," Alice suggested. "Rose, you should come too, because I imagine that the minute Bella tells him she likes him too he isn't going to give her back so I will have nothing to do. As long as you don't ditch me for Emmett."

"Sure. I won't ditch you for Emmett, I promise. Alright, the bell for class is about to ring, so let's go. Meet at Alice's car after school and we'll head over." Rose smiled.

We all left the bathroom and started heading to our classes as the warning bell rang.

We got to the Cullen's house really quickly after school. We hung out in Alice's room just talking and hanging out.

"Alright, ladies. It's time to put operation Get Bella and Edward Together in motion. We're going to go get some snacks and hang out in the living room until Edward comes home from practice then Bella will ask to talk as soon as he gets home and then there will be another couple in our group," Alice said like a spy.

"You are so crazy, I have no idea why I hang out with you. But I love you anyways," I joked.

Alice just smiled innocently at me. We went into the kitchen and got a bag of chips then turned the TV in the living room on and turned on Top Model. We all loved that show and would always watch it when we together if it was on, no matter how many times we had seen the episode. It's the kind of show that you never get tired of no matter how many times you see it.

True to Alice's word, 20 minutes later, Edward and Emmett walked in from practice and Emmett ran straight over to Rose and when Edward saw me, he froze then started walking up the stairs.

I got off the couch and went over to Edward just as he started on the first step. I put my hand on his arm to get his attention and he turned around with shock in his eyes.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked politely. I still felt a bit awkward about being around him since everything had happened but I was determined to fix our relationship.

"Umm, sure, do you want to go out back?" he asked. I nodded in confirmation.

As soon as we were outside we sat down on the steps on the deck in their backyard.

"So, I was talking to Alice and Rose today," I started.

"Okay," he replied, clearly confused. I could tell he had no idea where I was going with this or why I was even talking to him. "I'm really sorry about what I said last Monday. I was being irrational and I didn't mean it. I hope that we can go back to being friends and forget this ever happened."

"You don't mean that," I told him. "You over-think everything. There is no way you said that to me without analysing every aspect of it. I know you meant it. Don't disrespect me by lying. I know you better than that."

Now, I was just plain mad. He had the audacity to tell me he likes me and then when I stop talking to him he lies to me about it all.

"You're right," he admitted. "I'm sorry. I meant everything that I said. I just want to be friends with you. I miss you like crazy and if all you're willing to give me is friendship then I can accept that and be happy as long as you're in my life in some way."

That was really sweet. He did mess up but I can tell that he's sorry. He is the sweetest guy I have ever met.

"I know I said that, but I was really shocked. That was the worst way to tell me that, by the way," I smirked. "I was talking to Alice and Rose today and I realized that I like you too. As more that a friend. And I've missed you too."

His head shot up and he stared into my eyes trying to make sure that I was telling the truth.

"You're serious?" he asked. I nodded my head, unable to speak from the absolute pure emotion that I could see in his eyes. "Bella, can I kiss you?"

I leaned in to him as my response. He closed the gap between us and placed his lips on mine. It was amazing. My first kiss and it was perfect. We kissed for a few minutes and then he pulled away.

He continued to stare into my eyes. Then suddenly, there was a huge smile on his face, "Was that okay?"

"Perfect, thank you for the amazing first kiss," I smiled back at him.

"First kiss, really? I'm shocked, someone as beautiful as you surely had guy falling at your feet. I'm glad because you're my first as well," he said.

"No way," I exclaimed.

"Yep," he smiled and leaned in again.

We stayed outside and kissed and talked for a while until Esme came out while he was kissing me and let out a squeak.

We both turned around at the sound. We were both blushing like crazy at being caught in that position.

"Well, this is lovely news! Dinner will be ready in 15 minutes, my dears," she sang and danced back into the house.

"Well, at least she approves…" I shrugged.

We both looked at each other and burst out laughing. We kissed again quickly and then decided to go inside. Edward wanted to go have a shower and clean up before dinner so I went back to living room hoping to find Alice and Rose. They were still there watching TV and as soon as I walked in, pounced on me for details. I told them everything and by the time they were satisfied Edward was walking down the stairs.

Alice jumped out of her seat and tackled him into a hug and yelled, "I'm so happy for you guys!"

At that moment, Carlisle walked in the door and asked, "What happened?"

"Edward and Bella are together now!" Alice squealed out happily.

I sunk into the couch and buried my face into my hands. Edward came over and sat beside me and put his arm around me. "It's not that bad is it?" he asked.

"No, it's just embarrassing how she's yelling it to your whole family," I told him. I looked up at him finally and he leaned down to kiss me again.

"Not in front of your family!" I exclaimed pushing against his chest.

"I really don't think they care. They are really happy that we're together," he tried again and this time I let him kiss me because really, who was I to deny this amazing man what he wanted? Especially if what he wants is me.

Alice interrupted our kiss by shouting, "That's so adorable!"

"Dinner, children," Esme called.

"I better go," I said to Edward.

"No, please don't. You can stay for dinner. They don't mind," he pleaded.

"I can't. I have to go fix dinner and get started on my homework anyways," I explained.

"Fine, if you insist. I'll walk you home," he jumped up off the couch.

"You realize that my house is just across the street right?" I asked.

"Yep, but any extra time with you is amazing," he smiled.

"You're such a suck up," I smirked.

"I won't deny that," he smiled back.

He walked me up to my door then gave me a quick kiss and said, "We're going out tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, what time do I need to be ready?" I asked.

"Three, I have a whole night planned. Tell your parents that you won't be back until late," he smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," I replied as I walked into my house.

_**What do you think? I'm trying to get through the early chapters ASAP to get to what is coming. I'm very excited for where this story is going now. **_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Edward POV**

_December 9, 2007_

To say that I was shocked and ecstatic when Bella told me that she liked me would be an understatement. I thought I had ruined our friendship forever but I'm so glad that she really does like me.

It was really embarrassing to have my mother walk into the backyard to see us when we were kissing but she didn't make a big deal out of it. I'm sure she was screaming on the inside about how happy she was.

I had spent the later hours of last night after dinner trying to figure out what to this afternoon with Bella but I had finally figure out that we were going to go to the park a few streets over and have a little picnic and then walk around a bit and talk. When it starts to get dark, I'm planning on taking her to the ice rink to skate for a bit. It's really cliché, I know but I think she will like it.

When I picked her up we were both a bit nervous but as the date progressed we both got more comfortable and started talking more. We had a great time together and as we were coming back home, we planned to go out again next weekend.

When I got home, Alice was sitting in the living room waiting for me to get home.

"Hi," she smirked.

"Hey," I replied as I walked toward the stairs to go upstairs.

"How did your date go?" she smiled.

"It was good, goodnight," I said.

"Tell me what happened!" she exclaimed.

"No Alice, it is none of your business, now I'm going to bed, see you in the morning," I told her.

"Fine, be secretive," she pouted.

**Bella POV**

_December 22, 2007_

The next couple weeks went by very quickly in a flurry of school work, friends and family time. It was now the last day of school before the Christmas break. For the next 2 weeks, my friends and I would not be at school and we can do whatever we wanted. My parents and I were planning on having Christmas with the Cullens this year. We were going to go over there after opening presents and hang out there for the day and then have a huge turkey feast that Esme and my mother were preparing.

I was going over to Angela's house after school today to help her finish packing and say bye to her before she leaves tonight. Her mom wanted to get on the road before Christmas so they could hopefully be at her sister's for Christmas day; they were planning on driving over night tonight in hopes of there not being too much traffic. I met Angela in the parking lot and we headed over to her house in my car.

"I still can't believe you're moving away. I always thought that we would graduate together," I said.

"I know. Me too, but Danielle and Amanda started being weird and attention hungry so I guess the plan for all of us to graduate together wasn't going to work out anyways," she replied.

"I guess you're right, I am so shocked that they would become that way, those aren't the girls that we used to hang out with," I told her.

"Angela! Time to go!" her mom shouted.

"Well, I guess this is it. You've always been my best friend here. I'll call you when I get there," she cried.

"I'm going to miss you so much but we'll talk all the time on Skype and we'll text," I promised.

I jumped in my car and headed home as they locked up their house and drove away on their way to Rhode Island.

When I got home there was no one there yet. I started making dinner and once it was in the oven, I made a batch of gingerbread cookies to go in the oven once dinner was cooked.

As I was setting the table, my parents walked in the door.

"Bella, you need to close your eyes for a minute," dad said.

"Okay…" I shut my eyes.

"You can open them now," my mother told me.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"We just bought your last Christmas present at the mall and we didn't want you to see it," mom explained as dad walked back into the kitchen.

"So, Angela and her family got off on the road okay?" dad asked as we ate our dinner.

"Yeah, I left to come home just as they were leaving," I told them sadly.

"I know it's sad that your friend moved away but you have the Cullens that you spend most of your time with anyways and you guys will still keep in touch," mom comforted.

"I know, it's still sad though, Angela and I have been friends for years," I told them. "I was thinking that maybe in the summer we could invite her to come and stay with us for a while."

"That sounds like a great idea," mom smiled.

The next day consisted of my mom and I baking some desserts and getting groceries for Christmas dinner at the Cullens.

"So you never did tell me about what happened with Edward," my mother tried to hint.

"You are the farthest thing from subtle," I joked.

"I'm okay with that, just tell me what happened and how you guys got together finally," she pouted.

"Well, I finally realized that I liked him and then when I was hanging out with Rose and Alice at his house, he came home and I told him that I realized that I liked him and that I was sorry for how I reacted to him telling my his feelings in the car and then he kissed me and I guess now I'm his girlfriend," I explained.

"That's cute. I'm glad you worked it all out, you guys are too cute together," she gushed.

_December 25, 2007_

**Bella POV**

We had been at the Cullen's since about noon. We had spent the morning separately then we came over lunch and had been over since then. My parents had become really close friends with Esme and Carlisle as well as me and the Cullen children. It was now 3 in the afternoon and we were all sitting in the Cullen living room just talking.

"Well, we wanted to tell you guys something. We really hope that you guys are just as happy about this as we are. Bella, we're sorry we didn't tell you this morning but we thought it would be better to tell everyone at the same time," my mom said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Well, I just found out the other day that I'm pregnant!" Renee shouted.

My jaw dropped to the floor, my eyes popped open and I couldn't make any sound come out of my mouth.

"That's so wonderful!" Esme got up and gave my parents a hug followed by Carlisle doing the same.

I think me and all the Cullen kids were all just in too much shock to even comment on what we just heard.

"Seriously?" Emmett asked. "That's pretty cool, there's going to be little kid to play with."

"Congratulations! I wish my parents were having a baby now! I've always wanted a sibling that was a lot younger," Alice smiled.

"Bella?" I heard Edward say. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't even respond. I was so confused. I can't believe they were having another baby. Is the pregnancy going to go smoothly? My mom was in the older range for having kids and you always hear about complications when that happens.

"Bells?" my dad tried to get my attention. "We were hoping that you would be happy about this."

I was trying to get something to come out of my mouth.

"You're going to have another kid?" I voiced my question.

"Yes, honey. Are you okay? We won't love you any less. We're so happy that this has happened," my mom said.

"No, I know that. I'm just so confused right now. I can't believe this is happening," I breathed out.

"Bella, are you not happy about this? We thought you had always wanted somebody else to play with when you were younger," my dad tried to reason with me.

"How far along are you?" I asked my mom. I was still trying to absorb this. I wasn't even really paying attention to what anyone was saying.

"About 4 weeks," my mom replied.

"Have you been to see the doctor?" I asked.

"Yes, sweetie. Why are you asking all these questions?" she asked me.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I don't mean to be rude or anything Mom, but you're older and pregnancy is more of a risk now than ever," I explained.

"Honey, the doctor said that as long as I'm careful then there shouldn't be any problems," she assured me.

"Okay," I said getting up from my spot and going to give them a hug.

"I'm glad that you're happy dear. You've always wanted a younger sibling haven't you?" Dad asked.

"Yeah, sorry, it just really shocked me. I didn't expect my parents to have another child when I'm almost 18 years old is all," I said.

Edward went up and told them congratulations now after making sure that I was okay. He was worried about me the whole time. Why is he so sweet? What did I ever do to deserve him?

After the drama of that announcement was over, the kids split up and went to do different things. Alice and Emmett went up to their rooms to do whatever and Edward and I decided to go for a walk.

"Are you okay now?" he asked after we had been walking in silence for a few minutes.

"I guess so. I just can't believe this," I shook my head.

"I was pretty shocked too," he admitted. "Are you excited about having a baby in the house?"

"I really am," I smiled at him. "I love kids and I've always wanted someone to babysit and take care of, sort of like a second mother."

"If you think about it, if you have kids in 5 or 10 years, their aunt or uncle is only going to be a few years older than them," Edward pondered.

"Do you think about having kids?" I asked him.

"With you? Yes," he smiled down at me.

"Really?" I asked. "You realize that we've only been dating for a few weeks right?"

"I know, but we knew each other for a month before that and I feel like I've known you forever," he said.

"I feel the same way," I smiled and went on my tippy toes to kiss him.

_One Week Later- December 31, 2007_

**Edward POV**

It was now New Years Eve and once again our two families were spending it together. This time we were at the Swan's house and we were all hanging out in the living room and snacking on appetizers that Renee had made.

Soon all the kids decided to go downstairs and watch a movie. Bella and I weren't paying much attention to the movie, we were sitting in the opposite corner of the room from everyone else and talking quietly.

"Do you want to go outside with me?" I asked Bella

"Sure," she replied and we walked out onto the back patio away from everyone else inside the house.

Bella and I lay down on the blanket that I grabbed before we came outside and we looked up at the stars.

"Bella, what do you dream about? For the future?" I wondered.

"Well, I've always seen myself getting married and having kids. I've always wanted to have a big family. I was always an only child, well soon I'll have a sibling. I want to have at least 3 kids and I want to live in nice sized house and I think I want to open my own restaurant or something like that. I'm not really sure. Why?" she explained.

"I was just wondering," I smiled.

"What about you? What do you want in the future?" she asked me.

"Well, I've always imagined having a wife and kids. I know sometimes Emmett, Alice and I fight but I wouldn't be able to survive without them. I've always wanted a large family too. I don't know what I want to do for a career yet though. I think that my Dad wants me to be a doctor to follow in his footsteps but I really just don't know. I've always been interested in law too," I told her.

"In a perfect dream world, how many kids would you have; and would you want them to be all your own or would you want to adopt some?" Bella asked.

"I think I want to have at least 4 or 5 but as long as there is enough money to take care of them all, then I would love to have more. I think I would want to have at least 4 of my own but adoption is something that I might want to look into sometime," I said. "What about you?"

"Well, I'm pretty much thinking the same as you. I want to have some of my own first and then after that consider adoption," she replied. "Why did you ask that question in the first place?"

"Honestly Bella, because I wanted to know if you and I could ever end up married. I know we talked about this briefly the other night but it wasn't a very serious conversation. Truthfully, I love you Bella. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I just wanted to know what you wanted in the future and see if I could make it happen," I explained while I stared into her eyes. I really hoped that she didn't run away screaming. Even if she didn't say it back, I would wait, anything would be better than her running away from me.

"Edward," she whispered, "I think I love you too."

I leaned in and kissed her. We kissed passionately for a few minutes when I heard my parents yelling Happy New Year from inside the house.

"Happy New Year, my love," I whispered against her lips and continued kissing her.

"Happy New Year," she repeated. She pulled away from the kiss after a bit and started talking again. "Edward, you know how we were talking about marriage and kids and stuff earlier? Well, there's something I really need to tell you and it's really important to me. And if you can't accept it then I don't know if this is ever going to work."

"Bella, you're making me nervous. Please just tell me, we can work this out together," I assured her.

"We're seventeen years old, and I know that a lot of people at school are, um, gosh this is embarrassing, are having sex at this point. But something that is so important to me is that I don't have sex until I'm married," she said nervously.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought it was going to be something horrible. "Bella, I'm so glad that you said that. I feel the exact same way. I've always known that the only person that I ever would have sex with is my wife. I love you, so much," I kissed her again.

"I love you too. I'm so glad that you understand and feel the same way," she smiled beautifully.

"Well, you guys seem to be having a serious conversation," Emmett said as he, Rose, Alice and Jasper came outside and sat with us.

"Sorta, no big deal. How was your night?" Bella asked.

"It was good, we finished the movie and just hung out for a bit. How was your night? What were you guys talking about when we came out here?" Alice asked.

Bella looked at me and I could tell that she wasn't sure if I wanted to tell everyone what had just happened between us.

"I told Bella I love her," I told them.

I heard gasps from behind me and turned my head to look and saw mine and Bella's parents there, and they obviously heard what I had just said.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you guys. My baby boy has grown up," my mom smiled.

"Oh me too. Esme, can you believe it, we're going to be in-laws," Renee said excitedly.

My dad didn't say anything but I knew he was happy because he was smiling. Charlie didn't look too pleased though. I guess I understand what he was thinking though. His daughter's boyfriend had just said he loved her and he probably felt like I was stealing his little girl away from him.

We awkwardly all got up and walked back inside and sat around the living room. None of the parents mentioned anything more about what happened outside and for that I was grateful.

The next week, it was a Thursday today, I was sitting in Bella's kitchen while she was making dinner. I loved watching her cook; it made me think of the future and how much I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She was so graceful and carefree when she cooked, it was amazing to watch.

"What are you making?" I asked her.

"Chicken casserole with rice and a salad," she told me looking up from what she was doing.

"Umm…" I said getting up from the table and going to stand behind her, "I have an idea."

"What's that?" she asked as my arms snaked around her waist.

"How about you put the knife down," I told her.

She did and then turned around in my arms and I pressed my lips to hers.

"Mmm… I like this much better," she smirked.

"Me too…" I smiled.

We stood there in the kitchen kissing for a while. I felt a lot better since we had both said we wanted to wait to take our relationship any further, I was definitely more comfortable with her now.

We heard the front door open and Charlie yell, "I'm home!"

We broke apart quickly and Bella tried to push me away.

"No," I said keeping her in my arms, "I don't want to hide this from your father anymore. He knows we're dating, I'm pretty sure he knows that we don't just hug and hold hands. If I want to spend the rest of my life with you I need him to know that I'm not scared and that I won't hurt you."

"Okay," she smiled at me and pecked me on the lips again before turning around and continuing to chop the vegetables. I still had my arms around her with her back pressed against my chest. At that moment, I wouldn't have cared what had happened. I was so blissful and happy that we were this comfortable and connected with each other.

Charlie came into the kitchen and made a noise, "Hmph."

"Hi Dad," Bella said.

"Don't you think that's a little dangerous?" he asked.

"What?" Bella replied.

"Having him wrapped around you like that while you're using a sharp knife."

"No, I don't. I think it's sweet. He's being caring and trying to show that he loves her," Renee said as she came in from the front door.

"They're 17 years old, they don't know what love is and they certainly don't need to be in such a position," Charlie grumbled.

Renee dragged Charlie out of the kitchen and into the next room but we could still hear them. Bella had stopped chopping and turned around in my arms and we stood there listening to what her parents were saying.

"You realize they could be doing much worse. We know Edward and his family, we trust him and we trust our daughter. I think you need to get around the idea that Bella has a boyfriend. She's 17, you knew this was coming eventually. It could be much worse," Renee scolded.

"They're standing in our kitchen wrapped around each other like monkeys," Charlie exclaimed. "I don't think that's appropriate."

"They were hugging for goodness sakes. We know that Bella has strong values and morals, they aren't doing anything more than that."

"Maybe not for her but we don't know what's going on in his head."

I looked at Bella alarmed. She looked at me and I said, "I hope you don't think that. I love you so much and I don't want to do anything else now. I'm completely happy the way we are now," I told her. "I mean that's not to say that I'm not physically attracted to you- I definitely am but we have both agreed to wait and I hope you believe me."

"I know," she blushed. "I believe you. And I'm definitely physically attracted to you too." Then she gave me a quick kiss we turned back to listening to her parents.

"Then why don't we just ask them?" Renee said confidently.

They both walked back in and told us to sit down at the table with them. Oh boy, we were going to have a talk…

"Have you guys had sex?" Renee asked.

I started coughing having chocked on my own saliva. That was blunt.

"No, we haven't. We've talked about it and have discovered and we both want to wait until marriage," Bella replied assertively.

"Then why were you in such a state when I walked in," Charlie grumbled.

"Umm, Charlie, if I may explain," I started, "I love your daughter and she tells me that she loves me too. We are in love and I in no way meant to disrespect you at all but I feel like I've been hiding my feelings when you and Renee are around and I don't think that's fair to any of us. I don't think it's fair to Bella because suddenly I'm giving her the cold shoulder, it's not fair to either of you as well because I do plan on being around for a long time, hopefully forever, and I think that you need to know that I am not worried anymore and that I will take care of your daughter. And I'm not sure it's fair for me either. I mean at my house, my parents love Bella and always want her around, but whenever I come over here I feel like I'm not wanted. I don't think you've given me the chance to let you get to know me and who I am so you feel comfortable with me being with Bella."

There was silence and I was worried that I had screwed up but then Renee said, "See, that's exactly what I told you. Edward, you are always welcome here, you are a great boy and I'm glad my daughter is with you."

"Fine then, are you staying for dinner?" Charlie asked.

I looked at Bella and she looked alarmed, I'm sure she was thinking about what would possibly happen over dinner. I continued to look at Bella and said, "I'd love to."

Bella sat silently through dinner. Her father was constantly asking me questions about what I wanted to do in the future. Renee looked overly excited throughout the whole affair and I think Bella was embarrassed. I think I passed the test because Charlie got up from dinner and went to watch whatever game was on and Renee told me, "He's not saying it but you answered everyone of his questions perfectly. Let him stew for a few days and I'm sure he will be fine after that." She got up and left as well.

I stood up and started bringing dishes over to the sink with Bella.

"I hope you're not mad at me," I told her and I put my hand on her arm to get her to look at me.

"Mad at you? I'm surprised you're not leaving now saying you never want to see me again. I'm so sorry for what you just had to go through," she exclaimed.

"Don't be sorry. It was worth it if your father now accepts us. I've told you a million times that I love you and I will do whatever it takes to be with you forever but I don't think you fully grasp that still," I told her.

She pulled herself against my chest and said, "I just can't understand why you want to be with me at all."

"Because you're you. You're my best friend, my girlfriend, my everything. You're so beautiful, but more importantly, you have a heart of gold, you are so kind and caring, you put up with my crazy family, you're smart and I just love you. That's why I'm with you, you make me happy," I told her.

She looked up at me and asked, "Really?"

"Of course," I exclaimed and leaned down to kiss her.

At that point I knew we were going to be okay. She may feel bad for what her dad did but I don't care, it wasn't that big of a deal to me.

"Wanna go out for dinner tomorrow night?" I asked her.

"Sure, where do you want to go?"

"Your choice," I told her.

"A picnic in the park again? Those are my favourite," she smiled.

"Of course," I kissed her again.


End file.
